


Vampire Flu

by Neverever



Series: 2016 Cap-IM Tiny Reverse Bang ficlets [13]
Category: Marvel Adventures: Avengers
Genre: M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sick Character, Vampire!Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 16:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10643988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neverever/pseuds/Neverever
Summary: Other people get a cold or pneumonia, Steve gets the vampire flu. Or how Steve ends up promising to go on vacation with Tony.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the eleventh round of the 2016 Cap/Iron Man Tiny Reverse Big Bang.
> 
> Art is by Massive Space Wren (stonypathoffandom.tumblr.com) and is titled: [The Alluring Scent of Iron](http://68.media.tumblr.com/524b22c3ea5050ca41696f58074c46f3/tumblr_o8t94s3skB1uqoi07o1_500.jpg) \-- tw: blood.

Some missions were worse than others. Exhausted beyond belief, Steve slumped at the quinjet controls. He didn’t feel all that great, but then again he had fought genetically-modified vampires and werewolves for the past five hours. It was definitely a long shower and movie night. And maybe, just maybe, the next time SHIELD called the Avengers he might consider deferring to the Fantastic Four if vampires were involved.

No, definitely, Fantastic Four could fight the vampires. He shuddered, thinking back to the fight.

The rest of the team were uncharacteristically quiet. Peter sat silently swiping through his phone. Ororo stared out the window. Jan and Bruce, who was wearing his ever-present headphones, had both already fallen asleep. Tony tore himself away from whatever he was reviewing on his tablet to claw his way up to the cockpit.

“How are you holding up?” Tony asked. Steve noted how Tony checked to see if the autopilot had kicked in. Just looking after him. Steve had punched in the codes from the minute he sat in the pilot seat and yawned.

“Tired,” Steve said. He rustled up a smile for Tony. “Fighting vampires in Transylvania is harder than I expected. Especially after the werewolves showed up.”

Tony kissed his temple. “We’ll be home soon and we can call it a night. Sleep in tomorrow morning. No marathons for you, big guy.” He ran his hand through Steve’s hair and smiled at him fondly.

Steve leaned into Tony. The idea of cuddling with Tony all night and into the morning sounded just about perfect. It would be perfect, if Tony let him eat pizza in bed. He reached up to scratch his neck. Hmmm, he didn’t remember his uniform getting ripped. Tony would be disappointed -- he was so proud of the new uniform fabric.

“I think the whole team would enjoy having a few days off,” Steve added. He looked back into the cabin. Grumpy Logan had given up trying to find beer in any of the hatches and was glowering at anyone who glanced in his direction.

Tony cocked an eyebrow at Steve. “Even you?”

“And how about you? Would I have to drag you out of the workshop for takeout and call that vacation?” Steve said mildly.

“Hah, funny.” Tony sat down in the co-pilot seat. “So, enough about me. Let’s talk about where I’m taking you for a nice, long weekend. Just the two of us.”

Steve shifted in his seat, feeling achy and sore all over. And a touch hungry. “I don’t know, Tony. We’ve got some training coming up and everyone has plans. There’s always a supervillain or alien attack.”

“Come on, Steve.” Tony nudged him and turned on his 1000-watt smile and charm. “No one, and I mean absolutely no one, is going to tell you no, you can’t take vacation. I can think of a dozen places in Europe with great art, food and hotels.”

Steve bit his lower lip. He didn’t know about leaving the team to fend for themselves against the trouble of the week. But time alone with Tony was very tempting.

“Think about it.” Tony stretched and yawned. Then Steve’s stomach rumbled. Tony patted his arm. “Hmmm, I bet I could find some protein bars stashed in one of the hatches.”

“Assuming Logan didn’t clean us out of those either.”

“Hah. I know how to hide food from Logan.” Tony stood up and tapped an overhead panel. The panel didn’t move. “What the heck --” Tony pushed harder. The panel tipped and dropped right on Tony’s head as protein bars rained down on him.

“Are you okay, Tony?” Steve asked.

“Not right now.” Tony pressed his fingers to an open cut on his forehead. “I’m going in the back to clean up.” He tossed a couple of protein bars over to Steve.

Steve snuck a look at Tony as he walked back to the main cabin. Tony always looked as good going as he did coming. Steve turned back to the quinjet controls. They still had about three hours before reaching New York.

He checked the environmental controls, since he felt sweaty all of a sudden. All systems were running normally. Hmmm. Last time he had a real cold was in 1939. So it wasn’t that. But he didn’t feel quite right. He thought back on the fight to see if he remembered any new or strange rays, beams, chemical clouds, alien viruses, anything that might affect him.

He unwrapped and ate a protein bar and began to feel better. Ah. Probably just running low on food. He glanced back to see where Tony was. He was taking a long time to doctor his cut.

Steve could see the pile of red and gold armor parts in the main cabin. Tony’s armor had been wrecked during the fight. Maybe Tony was sitting there evaluating what went wrong and what had to be fixed. No, Tony was in the back talking to Bruce, who was waving a tablet at him.

His stomach rumbled again. Protein bars weren’t going to be enough. Maybe Tony had more food stashed in the back.

Steve headed to the back of the quinjet. He smelt something enticing. Something rich and earthy and delicious, reminding Steve of big, hearty dinners where he could eat until he was full. Tony was constantly full of surprises -- he must have packed away food for an emergency and had just uncovered it.

But when Steve reached the equipment area at the back of the cabin, he found nothing except Tony and Bruce, still talking over his tablet. No food in sight. Yet, Steve could still smell that delicious scent.

“Bruce is showing me some data he collected,” Tony explained.

“Oh.” Steve saw that Tony hadn’t bandaged his forehead and was still pressing a tissue to the cut. Suddenly he wanted to lick the blood -- it seemed to be the source of that wonderful smell, and if the blood smelled that wonderful, then imagine what it tasted like.

“Okay,” Tony said, batting at Steve. “It’s not a big deal -- it’s just a cut.”

Steve had to taste the blood. Had to. He pushed Tony’s hand away as he bent down towards his forehead.

“Stop it, Steve,” Tony stated firmly. “What the hell --”

“Hey, Cap, look at me,” Bruce asked. “Oh,” he said as Steve turned to look at him, “that’s new. Look, Tony, fangs.” He inspected Steve’s uniform. “That’s just not a random rip. That’s deliberate so a vampire could get at your neck.”

“Steve, you didn’t tell me you were bitten,” Tony said, pushing at Steve to check out his neck.

Steve explored his little fangs with his tongue. Odd feeling at first, but then he had a fleeting thought about how he could use them in combat. “I don’t remember -- there were so many vampires and werewolves. Lucky hit, maybe.”

Tony groaned. “I knew it -- I should have tested that fabric for resistance to vampire bites before using it for your uniform.”

“So, Steve,” Bruce said as he tapped on the tablet. “Anything else you noticed?”

“Nothing, really -- I feel sleepier than usual and hungry, but then we just had a long fight so that didn’t strike me as unusual. I feel hot and a bit achy --”

Bruce reached up to feel Steve’s forehead. “Just like you’re running a fever. I don’t know, Steve, but I think your body is treating the vampire bite like a virus -- like a bout of the flu.” He pushed Steve over to the medical bay. “Let me take your temperature.”

“Seriously, Bruce. We get colds and the flu, and Steve comes down with a case of vampirism?” Tony asked.

He put his arm around Steve’s shoulders. “Gonna put him on bed rest?”

Bruce put a thermometer in Steve’s mouth. “Yes, I recommend that until Steve’s body flushes out the vampire ‘virus.’ It's the best I can do until we are able to do a full medical write up on him.”

On cue, Steve sniffled and sneezed. He wondered if Tony might relent on the whole let-me-lick-your-cut thing because Tony’s blood had the best scent on the planet.

“No, I’m not letting you anywhere near my blood,” Tony said, as if reading Steve’s mind. “And don't give me those puppy dog eyes.”

Bruce tapped away. “I’m suggesting quarantine while this runs its course -- except for Logan, who won’t be affected.”

“Oh,” Tony and Steve said sadly in unison. Steve sneezed again.

“You can have my room,” Tony offered. “It’s got the better bed and a much larger bathroom.”

Bruce sighed exasperatedly. “Steve needs to be in a clean room, with no contact with anyone until he’s clear of the virus. We can work on a vampire antidote, but until then, I don’t know what would happen if you were in contact with any of Steve’s bodily fluids.”

Tony turned pale and dropped his arm from Steve’s shoulder. “Good thing I got this cut. You know, before we, um, --”

Steve nodded glumly. He would never forgive himself if he turned Tony into a vampire. “I’ll stay here until we land and you’ve made arrangements.”

So much for his plans with Tony when they landed. Pizza in bed was no fun without Tony. Being in bed without Tony was no fun either. Steve almost blushed red at the thought.

“I hate the idea of you being locked up in SHIELD medical or worse --” Tony looked worried.

He hated that look on Tony. Tony shouldn’t ever be worried about him.

“I promise to go on vacation with you when this is over,” Steve blurted out. “Anywhere you want to go.”

“Really?” Tony’s grin lit up his face. Steve could tell that wheels were already turning in Tony’s mind. “Hmm, that gives a guy an idea or two, or three.”

Steve smiled, flashing his fangs at Tony, as Bruce pulled him away. Then Bruce hit the button to bring down the isolation curtains. He was in for it now. He laid back on the cot and thought of all the extravagant places and things Tony was going to plan for them.

Hmmm. He hated downtime, but it would be worth it to be with Tony. Thinking of that would make quarantine bearable.

He guessed giving up pizza in bed so Tony would stay safe and sound and un-vampired wasn’t so bad. Not a bad deal at all.

 

 

 

badge by woad

 


End file.
